State Child Care Assistance Policies 2011: Reduced Support for Families in Challenging Times

The National Women’s Law Center’s 8th annual review of key child care subsidy policies in all fifty states and the District of Columbia reveals that families were worse off in 37 states than they were in 2010 under one or more child care assistance policies. Families are not only worse off in 2011 than they were in 2010, but are also worse off than a decade ago. Families in only eleven states were better off under one or more child care policy areas than last year, a sharp contrast to NWLC’s findings in the previous year when families in thirty-four states were better off in 2010 than they were in 2009 and worse off in only fifteen states. A year ago, states were benefiting from a $2 billion boost in child care funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but by the end of 2010, they had spent most of the funds and were battling severe budget deficits, making it difficult to maintain their prior level of support.

The below CNN story, featuring NWLC’s Helen Blank, demonstrates what child care assistance cuts mean for parents who need help affording child care so they can hold onto their jobs and make sure their children are in care that nurtures their growth and learning.